South Bay Holiday Events in 2026: What Ice Cream and Yogurt Shops Should Know

October 27, 2026 | By Yummy Ice Cream Factory
People are always a little surprised when we tell them December can be a good month for ice cream. It's cold out, sure. But think about a parade night. Families stand outside for an hour waiting for Santa, the kids get antsy, and somebody walks into the closest shop that's open and warm. If that shop has a case full of good ice cream, the line forms fast.
So we pulled together the big holiday events coming up in our part of the Bay Area, from San Jose down to Hollister, plus a few ideas for getting your shop ready.
The dates worth putting on your calendar
Here's what's confirmed for this season, straight from the organizers' own pages.
Christmas in the Park, downtown San Jose. It runs from November 27, 2026 through January 1, 2027 at Plaza de Cesar Chavez on Market Street, open every day from noon to 10 pm, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It's free, which means a lot of repeat visits from local families. (Christmas in the Park)
Lights On Celebration, Hollister. The 36th annual parade is Saturday, November 28 at 5:30 pm on San Benito Street. This year's theme is The Nutcracker, and the Dec A Tree display will be up by the Veterans Memorial Building. The Hollister Downtown Association is openly asking people to eat and shop downtown before and after. (Hollister Downtown Association)
Holiday Lights Parade, Morgan Hill. This one is close to home for us. It's Saturday, December 5, starting at 5:30 pm on Monterey Road and wrapping up around 6:30 pm when the Mayor and Santa light the community tree at Monterey and Dunne. (Morgan Hill Kiwanis)
Holiday Festival and Parade, Gilroy. Also Saturday, December 5, starting at 3 pm downtown, with a Trail of Treats, two stages of live music, Santa's Village, the parade and a tree lighting. The organizers say to expect around 14,000 shoppers. Food vendor spots are already sold out, and there's a holiday window contest for downtown businesses with a deadline of December 1 at noon. (Gilroy Downtown Association)
Notice that Morgan Hill and Gilroy land on the same evening. If you have a shop anywhere along Monterey Road, that Saturday could be one of your busiest nights of the winter.
Why a cold night can still sell ice cream
A parade crowd isn't the same as a summer crowd. They're not hot and looking to cool off. They're out as a family, they're in a good mood, and they want a little treat that feels like part of the night.
Think about what's easy to carry. Small cups and pints of a seasonal flavor make sense for people heading back to their spot on the curb, more than a tall cone that drips down a mitten. A kid holding a little cup of ice cream while the floats go by is pretty much the whole holiday picture.
Soft serve does well here too. It's fast, so you can keep the line moving when fifty people show up in the same ten minutes after the tree lights up.
Get your order in early
This is the part we really want to stress. The week before a big event is a busy week for every supplier, us included. If you wait until the Thursday before, you're hoping there's room on the truck.
Our advice is simple. Look at what you sold on a normal Saturday, then plan for more on a parade night. Order your 3 gallon ice cream tubs and your 2.5 gallon soft serve yogurt bladders a week or two ahead, and leave a little room in the freezer. Running out of your most popular flavor at 6:15 pm, right when the crowd turns around, is the kind of thing nobody wants on their busiest night.
If you're not sure what to stock, our fall and holiday flavor guide has some ideas for your case.
Make your shop part of the walk
You don't need a big budget to catch a parade crowd. A few small things go a long way.
Stay open later than usual on event nights, and say so on your door and on social media a few days ahead. Put one seasonal flavor right up front where people see it first. Keep a small, simple menu for the rush so nobody stands at the counter reading. And if your downtown has a window contest like Gilroy's, enter it. A decorated window gets people talking, and it costs you an afternoon.
Tip from the factory: Write your event night hours on a sign by the register two weekends before. Regulars will plan around it, and they'll bring friends.
A few words from a local family business
We make our ice cream and soft serve yogurt mix in Morgan Hill, and we deliver to shops from San Mateo down to Hollister. Our goal is to help local shops have a great holiday season, and that mostly comes down to having the right product on hand when the crowd walks in.
If you want help planning quantities for an event night, give us a call. We're happy to talk it through, even if you only need a couple of extra tubs.
Ready to stock up for the holidays?
Call us at 408.306.6129 or email yumiyogurtco@gmail.com, or request wholesale pricing here. You can browse our ice cream flavors and soft serve yogurt mixes first, then tell us what dates you're planning around and we'll help you get ready.